As part of the Obama Administration's celebration of National Energy Awareness Month, there have been some great environmental news this week. First, the Obama administration announced they are putting U.S. built solar panels back on the White House, as well as a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House Residence (see Lawrence's great diary on this subject).
The Department of Interior announced they approved the first-ever solar projects on public lands:
In an historic step forward in the nation’s clean energy future, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today approved the first large-scale solar energy plants ever to be built on public lands. The two projects, both located in California, are the first in a series of renewable energy projects on public lands under final review by the Department of the Interior that would provide thousands of U.S. jobs and advance U.S. clean energy technologies.
Salazar’s approval grants the U.S.-based companies access to almost 6,800 acres of public lands for 30 years to build and operate solar plants that could produce up to 754 megawatts of renewable energy, or enough to power 226,000 – 566,000 typical American homes. The projects will generate almost 1,000 new jobs.
The projects Salazar approved today will employ two different types of solar energy technology. The Imperial Valley Solar Project, proposed by Tessera Solar of Texas, will use Stirling Energy System's SunCatcher technology on 6,360 acres of public lands in Imperial County, California. The plant is expected to produce up to 709 megawatts from 28,360 solar dishes, enough to power 212,700 – 531,750 homes.
The Chevron Lucerne Valley Solar Project, proposed by Chevron Energy Solutions of California, will employ photo-voltaic solar technology on 422 acres of public lands in San Bernardino County, California, and will produce up to 45 megawatts from 40,500 solar panels, enough to power 13,500 – 33,750 homes.
The Department of Transportation announced $776mm in funds to upgrade bus-maintenance facilities and purchase additional fuel-efficient buses:
The money, which will come from unallocated funds in this year's budget for the Federal Transit Administration, will support capital projects in 45 states and Washington, D.C. The biggest awards will go to large bus authorities in urban areas, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, but rural areas including Alaska and Arkansas will also receive funds.
The awards come at a time when many cash-strapped transit agencies are struggling to cover daily expenses, let alone embark on capital projects. The U.S. Transportation Department estimates that transit agencies would have to spend $78 billion in repairs to bring bus and rail transit systems to a state of good repair.
"You've got buses operating in San Francisco that are crowded to the max," FTA chief Peter Rogoff said. Improving maintenance facilities and modernizing bus fleets will allow agencies to "put more service on the street at a lesser cost." Using more fuel-efficient buses would cut gas costs, for example. Agencies could then use the savings to put more buses in operation, he said.
The bus-transit funds will be subject to the federal Buy America Act, which requires the federal government to favor U.S. companies in awarding contracts. Officials pitched the program as a job creator, though they didn't estimate how many jobs would benefit.
Other News:
The EPA and DOT announced that they have begun work on tighter greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards for passenger cars and trucks built in model years 2017 through 2025.
EPA helps launch the Global Methane Initiative:
The initiative will build on the existing structure and success of the Methane to Markets Partnership, an international partnership launched in 2004, while enhancing and expanding its efforts and encouraging new financial commitments from developed country partners. All the representatives at the meeting affirmed that the work of the initiative will continue to ensure international cooperation in a manner that is supportive of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The Methane to Markets Partnership is one of the most effective international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, growing from 14 to 38 country partners, representing approximately 70 percent of global methane emissions today. More than 1,000 public and private sector organizations are members of the project network and have helped the program to leverage nearly $480 million in investment from private companies and financial institutions.